Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Deaths In Italy Surpass China's Count
Reuters: Coronavirus Deaths In Italy Overtake China As Economic Damage Mounts
The world’s richest nations poured unprecedented aid into the global economy on Thursday as coronavirus cases ballooned in the new epicentre Europe, with the number of deaths in Italy outstripping those in mainland China, where the virus originated. With over 242,000 infections and nearly 10,000 deaths, the epidemic has stunned the world and drawn comparisons with painful periods such as World War Two, the 2008 financial crisis and the 1918 Spanish flu. (Faulconbridge and Mackenzie, 3/19)
NPR: As Italy's Coronavirus Deaths Pass China's, Hospitals Strain To Keep Up
Italy has a universal health care system. But now, its hospitals and medical staff are overwhelmed, prompting anguished debate. The Italian College of Anesthesia, Analgesia, Resuscitation and Intensive Care has issued guidelines for what it calls a "catastrophe medicine"-like scenario. The college put it starkly: Given the serious shortage of health resources, patients with the "best chance of success and hope of life" should have access to intensive care, the organization says. (Poggioli, 3/19)
The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Deaths Surpass 10,000 Globally
The number of deaths from the novel coronavirus doubled in a week to more than 10,000 on Friday, led by large jumps in Italy, Iran and Spain, and increasing the urgency for governments all over the world to contain the pandemic. Deaths from the pneumonia-causing pathogen have more than quadrupled in the U.S. over the past week to 205, while confirmed infections in the country have surged to 14,250 from around 1,700 on March 13. (Xie, 3/20)
CIDRAP: Italian COVID-19 Deaths Pass China's Total; Cases Surge In Europe
Iran, the country with the world's third highest case count, today reported 1,046 new cases, lifting its total to 18,407, according to the health ministry. It also reported 149 additional deaths, raising its fatality count to 1,284. The World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean regional office (EMRO) said today that 20,759 cases in the region have been reported in 22 countries, the vast majority in Iran. The next three hardest-hit countries are Qatar (452), Pakistan (302), and Bahrain (269). (Schnirring, 3/19)
The New York Times: Virus Hits Europe Harder Than China. Is That The Price Of An Open Society?
So how is it that the new disease, Covid-19, has hit harder in Europe, which had weeks of warning that the epidemic was coming, than in China, where the virus originated and where there are twice as many people? To some extent, experts say, Europeans are paying a price for living in open, affluent democracies, where people are used to free movement, easy travel and independent decision-making, and where governments worry about public opinion. Governments aren’t used to giving harsh orders, and citizens aren’t used to following them. But China acted with a severity and breadth that stunned the West, making unpopular moves and accepting deep economic damage as the price of containing the disease. (Perez-Pena, 3/19)
And in China —
The Associated Press: China Exonerates Doctor Reprimanded For Warning Of Virus
China has exonerated a doctor who was officially reprimanded for warning about the coronavirus outbreak and later died of the disease, a startling admission of error by the ruling Communist Party that generally bodes no challenges to its authority. The party’s top disciplinary body said the police force in Wuhan had revoked its admonishment of Dr. Li Wenliang that had included a threat of arrest. (3/20)
NPR: Chinese Authorities Admit Improper Response To Coronavirus Whistleblower
Li Wenliang, the ophthalmologist whose early warnings about the coronavirus earned him a reprimand from Chinese authorities, is finally receiving justice — albeit posthumously. Authorities in the country are apologizing to his family and dropping their reprimand, six weeks after his death from the disease caused by the virus. Widely known as a whistleblower who spoke up about the outbreak in the city of Wuhan, China, the 34-year-old doctor was initially punished by local authorities. They said he was "spreading rumors" in early January, after he had tried to warn others about the emergence of the novel coronavirus that has now become a global pandemic. (Cheng, 3/19)
